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If you're looking for a family getaway this summer that's an easy drive and has tons of fun things to do, Huntsville, AL is the place to go!Having grown up just 30 minutes west of Huntsville, it also holds a special place in my heart with both a link to childhood memories and home to much of my extended family.

Cathedral Caverns State Park in Woodville, AL

The high-tech city of Huntsville, which sprawls at the foot of a mountain in North Alabama, is equally at home in the 19th century or the 21st. Huntsville's tourist attractions reflect the heritage of Alabama's first English-speaking city, the strife of the American Civil War and the accomplishments of America's rocket scientists. The city is nicknamed "The Rocket City" for its close history with U.S. space missions. Huntsville has been important in developing space technology since the 1950s.www.huntsville,org

My kiddos are true Floridians, born and raised so our favorite things to do when we head back "home" to north Alabama each summer is to explore the great outdoors! These kids are used to beaches, trees that are brown by the end of summer, and flat, flat land. The lush green foliage covered foothill mountains along with their cave systems and hiking trails are a literal breath of fresh air to us.This past summer, I decided it was time to check another item off of my personal bucket list, so we headed about 30 minutes east of Huntsville to Cathedral Caverns State Park.

Originally called Bat Cave, Cathedral Caverns was opened to the public by Jacob Gurley in the 1950's. The cave was renamed because of its cathedral-like appearance. Purchased by the state in 1987, it was opened as a State Park in the summer of 2000. The first feature most people notice about Cathedral Caverns is its massive entrance. The huge opening measures 126 feet wide and 25 feet high, a possible world record for commercial caves. The grand entrance is only the beginning. Inside the cavern are some of the most beautiful formations Mother Nature has ever created including “Goliath”- one of the largest stalagmites in the world measuring 45 feet tall and 243 feet in circumference.

Inside the cavern are some of the most beautiful formations Mother Nature has ever created including “Goliath”- one of the largest stalagmites in the world measuring 45 feet tall and 243 feet in circumference. Cathedral Caverns features many amazing sites: a "frozen" waterfall, a large stalagmite forest and a most improbable stone formation - a stalagmite that is 27 feet tall and 3 inches wide!

One of the many great things about this tour was the year-round 60° temperature of the cave (which felt amazing on a hot July day). This 60-90 minute tour took us on a 1.5 mile round-trip walk to the end of the paved walkway and back. The paved walkway also means this cave is even wheelchair accessible!If a trip to north Alabama or south Tennessee are in your plans, I highly recommend a visit to the caverns! My crew included myself, my 13 year-old, 11 year-old, and 4 year-old, and this was an easy adventure for all 4 of us that we ALL greatly enjoyed!

If you’ve never been to Bellingrath Home & Gardens, you’re doing yourself a disservice. If you’ve never been there for the “Magic Christmas in Lights” then go ahead and put it on your calendar to go this year! They put on a truly phenomenal light display. And not only that, it’s easily walk-able for young and old alike. It’s also fully wheelchair and stroller accessible.

Understand of course, that these are merely a small sampling of the displays and scenes they have for you to enjoy. From the website itself:

"Bellingrath Gardens and Home is celebrating the 23rd year of Magic Christmas in Lights in 2018! In this Gulf Coast holiday tradition, guests stroll through a dazzling light display that features more than 1,100 set pieces, 3 million lights and 15 scenes throughout the 65-acre Garden estate. In addition, the Bellingrath Home is decorated in its holiday finery and enhanced with beautiful poinsettias.

Magic Christmas in Lights opens on November 23 and continues nightly through December 31, 2018 (closed Christmas Day). Magic Christmas in Lights is open each night from 5 to 9 PM. Tours of the Bellingrath Home are every hour and half hour until 8:30 PM.

Magic Christmas in Lights includes nightly choral performances on the South Terrace of the Home on Sundays through Thursdays."

"Intentionally private, Dismals Canyon - in keeping with its pristine surroundings - offers a quiet and unspoiled oasis in Alabama's last secret hiding place. A secluded wilderness filled with natural phenomena tucked deep within the foothills of hte Appalachian Mountains."

"Dismals Canyon is an 85 acre, privately owned and operated, natural conservatory" outside of Phil Campbell, Alabama. It was designated a "National Natural Landmark" in 1975 by the National Natural Landmarks Program. Dismals Canyon gained this designation due to the results of its geological history. "Once a primeval swamp, this area was lifted upward during the geological events of the late Paleozoic era. The draining waters helped carve the canyon and gorge system punctuated throughout by dozens of sandstone-sheltered grottoes, two waterfalls, six natural land bridges, and giant mossy boulders left strewn about by ancient earthquakes."

After paying our entrance fee, our group proceeded through the Country Store, and down several stories of steps, past the swimming hole, to the canyon floor. The trail markers aren’t always very noticeable, so be sure to grab a trail map before you make your descent to the canyon floor if you want to be able to keep up with where you are. You don’t have to worry about getting lost on this trail as it just makes a 1.5 mile loop following “Dismals Branch,” a winding stream that traverses the canyon floor, but it's nice to have a point of reference to where you are. *Note* When you arrive and park, make sure your group makes use of the restrooms next to the parking lot as these are the only facilities on-site. (The restrooms also have showers where you can change and get cleaned up if you choose to do so.)

Our group consisted of 4 adults and 5 children and ranged in age from 70 down to 4 years old. We were all able to squeeze through every crevasse, climb every boulder, and ford every stream. The entire walk took us about 2.5 hours as we took every available side trail and stopped to let the kids splash in Dismals Branch several times. As mom to the 4-year-old, there were definitely a few areas that I was VERY nervous letting him cross or climb, but he made it with a little help from the rest of us.

Be sure to check out all of the side trails so you don’t miss the labyrinths of caverns and grottos formed by the HUGE boulders and bluffs. Exploring the side trails was the kid’s favorite parts of the adventure. They even talked all of the grownups into climbing to the top of Secret Falls to take their picture - this was definitely the steepest thing we did all day, but it’s not a part of the main trail, so attempt at your discretion.

A few things to note:First, my pictures still don’t do this place justice! It was absolutely beautiful. My family will definitely return - but with more water next time. Second, I didn’t take pictures of everything, because there were times when I needed both my hands just to traverse the terrain. In those instances, my camera got swung around behind me and I just concentrated on getting from point A to point B. Third, we all finished the day with soaking wet shoes due to washed out stream crossings, and the majority of us had at least 1 scrape or bruise to tell the tale of our day. When we return, we’ll pack dry shoes for the drive home and bathing suits to change into so we can cool off in the swimming hole after our hike.

**All quoted information can be found on the Dismals Canyon website.**

I moved to Pensacola in early 2011, and in the 7 years that I'd resided in this beautiful, gulf coast, Florida town, I had never been able to see the Blue Angels Pensacola Beach Air Show! Don't get me wrong - I've seen the blues fly. Heck, I can watch them from my front yard at times. Plus, I've been to the practices on Pensacola Naval Air Station, and I've watched the Blue Angels Homecoming Air Show in November from Fort Pickens. But the summer show, that's a commitment I've never been able to make. And honestly, with 3 kids, hitting Casino Beach at 5 am and spending the entire day in the sun was not something I was ever going to be interested in doing.So, last August, on the day they opened up booking for the 2018 Blue Angels Pensacola Beach Air Show, I cashed in some IHG Reward Club points and booked my family a room for the weekend at the Holiday Inn Express on Pensacola Beach! I was FINALLY going to see my first Beach Air Show!

And for the next 11 months, I looked forward to that weekend in July like a little kid waiting for Christmas. Side note - don't buy me "stuff", gift me an experience - a state park pass, send me to go see the manatees, offer to watch my kids for a day so I can go on a photography adventure, etc! Ok, back to my story.I blocked the Air Show weekend off on my schedule 11 months in advance to make sure I didn't book any clients (unless they were willing to meet me on the beach in front of my hotel). Then, the opportunity to take the leap into birth photography - my dream - fell into my lap along with a previous client willing to be my "first" and share her photos... and she was due the exact same day as the Air Show!

As my 4 year old would say, "dun, dun, duunnnnn."

If you've read my previous posts, you already know that I took the leap. I decided that if I missed seeing the air show for one more year, it would be worth it to start this new adventure in my Pensacola photography business. Two weeks before the air show, when my client was 38 weeks along, I went on call for her birth photography. But, as expected, the baby girl wasn't interested in an early arrival. So, I touched base with my birth client Friday morning before heading to Pensacola Beach. All was well with her and baby seemed happy staying put for the time being. I packed up my family and headed to the beach, but I also packed my photography bag with everything I'd need if I got "the call". I warned my kids that if I got "the call" we'd all have to go and my amazing on-call nanny would meet us at the hospital to get them because, though I'd be able to get OFF the island, it was very unlikely that she'd be able to get ON the island Saturday. ​Then I crossed my fingers!

And it all worked out! I got to see my very first Blue Angels Air Show on Pensacola Beach, and my client's 9 lb 6 oz baby girl was born 4 days later.In fact, the entire weekend turned out so well that I've already booked our room for 2019!

Now, if you've read my little story and are still here, I'd like to thank you with some of my favorite pictures that I took during the show.

Springtime in northwest Florida brings many beautiful things, but my personal favorite has to be the pitcher plant. This next stop in my "Exploring the Gulf Coast" series" won't take you too far from home at all. The area around Pensacola, FL is home to several bogs that provide the perfect environment for these fascinating, carnivorous plants. The specific species shown throughout this blog (and most commonly found along the northern Gulf Coast) is Sarracenia leucophylla.

"Sarracenia leucophylla has nodding, brownish-red flowers and clusters of erect, hollow, pitcher-like leaves. Each leaf is colored at top with reddish-purple veins on a white background and topped by an erect, roundish, wavy-edged hood.It is highly variable with respect to its height, with plants in some localities reaching almost 1 meter (3.3 ft) in height, while in others, plants can be diminutive. A seldom seen 30 centimeters (12 in) tall dwarf form is endemic to Garcon Point n Santa Rosa County, Florida."

There are 3 areas of varying accessibility within a 30-45 minute drive where you can see these beautiful flowers blooming in the wild. And, since I KNOW you're not going to pick them or harm them in any way, I'll share those with you.

My personal favorite place to view pitcher plants (and where all of the above pictures were taken) is at the Garcon Point Water Management Area in Milton, FL. To get here, take Hwy 281 (Avalon Blvd) south like you're going to go over the toll bridge. Take the LAST possible left before the toll booth at the sign for the Garcon Point Water Management Area South. Park your car, coat yourself in sunscreen and bug spray, and put on your galoshes. Did I mention that before? Yeah, you're going to need galoshes because you'll be walking through water between 2 & 10 inches deep depending on how recently it's rained. Pitcher plants grow in a bog! My galoshes also give me a (false) sense of security regarding snakes that I really appreciate.

In case you didn't believe that I actually wear galoshes. :)

At the trail head you'll see this map. You're going to follow the trail to the left the whole way. There will be 2 forks and each time, you'll stay to the left. Not far after the 2nd fork is the pitcher plant bog.The trail starts out winding through a coastal woodland with and sandy path.

As you continue, the trail will narrow a bit and you'll see blue blazes on some of the trees marking the trail. The ground will change from sandy to dirt/mud and the trees will thin.

The walk itself is beautiful, but you know you're getting close to the main event when the trail starts looking like the picture to the left.

The 1/2 mile one-direction trail at Tarklin Bayou State Park is pet-friendly paved and board-walked trail ending at a pier overlooking Tarklin Bayou. Along the way, you'll cross over the top of a pitcher plant bog with ample opportunity to observe the plants from above.If you watch carefully, you may even get to watch one capturing it's prey like the picture at right.

However you decide to check out these amazing plants, just remember, leave them as they are. "The plant is a listed vulnerable species on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The greatest threat to S. leucophylla, as is the case with most Sarracenia species, is loss of its unique wetland habitat to development along the Gulf Coast, as well as forest succession that was historically kept in check by natural wildfires.

The land bridge between Gator Lake on the left and Little Lagoon on the right.

Nestled among the pine and oak woodlands and sand dunes, just 8 miles west down Fort Morgan Rd in Gulf Shores, AL, you’ll find “Alabama’s last remaining undisturbed coastal barrier habitat” – the Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge. As a gulf coast photographer, this refuge is an oasis of photography opportunities as well as a great way to explore nature.

The name Bon Secour comes from the French meaning "safe harbor," very appropriate considering the sanctuary for native flora and fauna the refuge provides. Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge was established by Congress in 1980 for the protection of neotropical migratory songbird habitat and threatened and endangered species. Bon Secour represents an important stopover and staging habitat for neotropical migratory songbirds during the fall and spring migration along the Alabama coastline. Migratory birds utilize this area for resting and building fat reserves critical to successful migration. The refuge also provides crucial habitat for the endangered Alabama beach mouse that inhabits the beach dune and scrub/shrub habitats found along the Fort Morgan Peninsula.

Many assume that I grew up in the Pensacola, FL area, but actually, I moved to Gulf Shores, AL in 2005 and then to Pensacola, FL in 2011. Growing up, North Alabama was my home. My family has vacationed in Gulf Shores or Pensacola every spring break and summer for as long as I can remember. In fact, for about a decade, my grandparents had a beach house about 14 miles down Fort Morgan Rd. The many family vacations I spent on the Fort Morgan peninsula left me with a strong love of south Baldwin County, AL, the city of Gulf Shores, and, more specifically, the Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge that I have spent countless hours exploring both as a child an adult.

The refuge is open from dawn until dusk each day and is completely free! It boasts a total of 7 miles of trails ranging from the Jeff Friend Trail, a 1-mile, ADA accessible boardwalk loop, to the Pine Beach Trail, a 2-mile one-way sand trail that takes you through a maritime forest, across the land bridge between Gator Lake and Little Lagoon, and finally cuts through the brush and sand dunes all the way to the Gulf of Mexico.

​There is also an observation tower on the North side of Gator lake that gives you a nice view of the entire refuge.

The picture to the left was taken looking south-southeast. Gator Lake is in the foreground with Little Lagoon in the middle ground and far off in the background you can see the roofs of the houses at the very end of West Beach in Gulf Shores.

When I don't have all day (or it's just too hot to take the entire Pine Beach Trail), I like to park half way down Mobile St. at the Gator Lake trail head. This trail is a one-mile one-way trip across a dune ridge from the parking area to the land bridge at Gator Lake and Little Lagoon. This is also the Pine Beach Trail intersection. This is a great, shorter walk where you'll see wildflowers, birds, and lizards. At the end of the trail you could choose to turn around and walk back, you could head South and continue on to the Gulf of Mexico, or you could turn North and take the Pine Beach Trail to it's trail head where you'll be about 1/4 mile down the road from where you left your car.

Whatever trail you decide to embark on, be sure you're well coated in sunscreen and bug spray and that you have plenty of water. Take it from someone who's ended the day red as a tomato - these trails spend a lot of time in full sun! Plan accordingly.

Now that it's starting to feel like spring again here on the northwest Florida gulf coast, I'll be continuing with my "Exploring the Gulf Coast" one tank trips blog series. My mission is to show off some of the natural wonders as well as inexpensive family outing options within an ~2 hour drive from Pensacola, FL. Over the past couple of years I've found that many of my favorite places are completely unknown to many, and I want to share them with you in hopes that you share them with generations to come.

I decided to kick things back off with a visit to a Florida State Park that's been on my personal bucket list for a couple of years - Florida Caverns State Park. So, this past Saturday, I rose before the sun and headed east with adventure and exploration in mind.

Formation of the park's caves have a history beginning about 38 million years ago when this part of the Unite States was still submerged undersea. While in the cave the tour guide will point out a nautilus, shark tooth, tube coral, shells, and fish vertebrae. The land compromising what is now the state park was acquired on October 11, 1935 with much of the development being done by members of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) as a part of President Roosevelt's New Deal. Florida Caverns State Park officially opened to the public in 1942.

"{Florida Caverns State Park} is one of the few state parks with dry (air-filled) caves and is the only state park in Florida to offer cave tours to the public. The Florida Cavern has dazzling formations of limestone stalactites, stalagmites, soda straws, flow stones and draperies. The Chipola River and Blue Hole spring provide areas for fishing, canoeing and boating. Florida Caverns State Park is popular for camping, picnicking, fishing, hiking, and horseback riding."

If you follow the drive to the very back of the state park, you'll end up at the "Blue Hole" (pictured above) and Equestrian Facility. There's a large picnic area here as well as access to the 6 miles of Chipola trails which are available for use by hikers, bicyclists, and horseback riders.

Leaving Blue Hole and heading back towards the visitor's center you'll come to the next point of interest - the Chipola River Sink. Here the Chipola river heads underground for about 1/4 mile until it pops up again further downstream. During the spring and summer, kayaks and canoes are available for rental. As the pictures below show, strolling through this section of the park really felt like going back into pre-historic times.

After wandering around the Chipola sink for a bit, it was time for me to meet up with my group to head into the namesake of the park itself - the caverns!

Per www.floridastateparks.org:"Guided tours of the cave are offered year round except Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. Tours depart near the Visitor Center where participants learn the precautions of the tour including having to stoop many times to pass through areas with a ceiling height of 4 1/2 feet for distances as far as 15 feet in length, passages as narrow as 2 feet, and ascending steps, slippery walkways, and the importance of not touching anything inside the fragile cave environment as there are not handrails inside the cave. The cave maintains a year-round 65-degree temperature. The tour moves at a leisurely pace through a dozen cave rooms where the visitors pause for information and about the cave's history, early uses, and interesting geological formations such as stalactites, stalagmites, columns, and flowstone."

The ~1/2 mile long cave tour took a leisurely 40 minutes where our knowledgeable guide pointed out many formations and fossils as well as discussing the geological make-up of the cave itself. I had no problem traversing the narrow and low passages - though I did get a good thigh workout. After leaving the cave, your guide gives you directions for the 3 different that take you back to the visitor's center.

I chose to head back along the bluffs trail - approximately a 45 minute walk from the cave exit along the bluffs above the Chipola river. Though not a smooth walk, I had no problem picking my way over the rocks and tree roots as I made my way back to the Visitor's Center and my car.

After my final hike, I headed back to the visitor's center where I ate my picnic lunch and enjoyed the scenery. I would highly recommend Florida Caverns State Park to any and all nature lovers. The park is well designed to accommodate people of varying ages and ability. I do highly recommend bug spray as the mosquitoes were huge and unrelenting.All information shared here was obtained directly from ​www.floridastateparks.org/park/Florida-Caverns

While on the way to a wedding in Tennessee, I was able to swing a side trip into Huntsville, AL to visit with some family and enjoy the changing colors of the trees.

Having grown up in North Alabama, I have spent countless hours on the trails on and around Green and Monte Sano mountains. But, it had been many years. So when we woke up to a beautiful, crisp, fall morning, I jumped at the opportunity to introduce my husband and youngest child to the Green Mountain Nature Trail.

I may have lived in South Alabama and Florida for the past 11 years, but I was North Alabama born and raised. I’m lucky enough to get to go “home” to visit a few times each year and this past weekend I was lucky enough that all 5 of us were able to go together!Having a VERY active toddler boy means always having to come up with a good, exhausting outdoor activity for our family. This works out well since we all love exploring the great outdoors. When I told my dad I was trying to decide where we should go Saturday, he told me there were some new hiking trails near Hampton Cove. I looked it up and we decided to load up and go check out the Goldsmith Schiffman Wildlife Sanctuary. Definitely the BEST decision I could have made!

We took the Hidden Springs trail and were rewarded fields upon fields of beautiful, yellow Canola flowers, secluded ponds, ducks, and 1 baby snake. It was absolutely stunning! And not only that, it was an easy walk for all 3 kids – 2 year old included!

**Confession time** I kicked myself the whole way for making the last minute decision to NOT pack my kid’s spring pictures outfits. But, I got the girls to at least pose in the flowers for me.

It appears that we’re not going to get a real winter in Pensacola this year, because spring is definitely here. My patio furniture and grills are a lovely shade of pollen yellow, and my azalea bushes have burst forth in all their hot pink glory!With beautiful weather comes the desire to get out of the house, get some fresh air, and commune with nature. Here on the northwest Gulf Coast of Florida, we're lucky to have numerous options to do just this. So, that’s what my family is doing. We’ve decided to take a family outing each week to get out of the house, get some exercise, and enjoy each other’s company! And I decided this would be a great way to get in some Pensacola/ Gulf Coast photography fun.​This past Sunday was our first official, “family day” outing. At the request of the middle child (I thought it’d be fun to let them take turns picking the upcoming week’s outing), we headed to Big Lagoon State Park in West Pensacola, FL to check out some trails and get our toes wet.

One of the great things about Big Lagoon State Park is that they have trails with raised, wooden walkways AND sand trails. The raised walkways take you to and across Long Pond and through some of the marshy areas to the campground. They were especially appreciated as our exploring party included a very grumpy toddler who decided he wanted to ride in the stroller instead of walk.

Long Pond (pictured above) is one of my favorite spots to nature watch at Big Lagoon. The park provides canoes as well as a lovely, little pavilion where you can rest. Make sure to take note of the “No Swimming” sign, though! Long Pond has alligators!​Next, the kids and I headed down to the Observation Platform near the Governor’s Pavilion. It was a great place for us to watch for boats and birds (as well as sit down for a refreshing drink).

Another favorite spot of ours that we didn’t get to this past Sunday is the Observation Tower (seen in the distance here). The Observation Tower at Big Lagoon is a fantastic place to watch boats sailing down the intracoastal waterway.

Our last stop was West Beach. The kids needed some time to play in the sand and splash around in the water and I wanted to replicate a picture I took 4 years ago of just my girls with all 3 kids.

If you’re looking for a great place to spend the day without having to even leave town, you can’t go wrong with Big Lagoon State Park. It’s one of our favorite places because of the many adventure options it offers. It also boasts a boat launch, camp ground, several pavilions, and 2 play grounds.Big Lagoon State Park is open from 8am - sunset daily. Admission fees are $4 for a single occupant vehicle or $6 for a vehicle carrying 2 - 8 visitors.​